Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-11-26

"She is nearly fifty, your excellency."
"True. The harmony in your ages is,
as you doubtless mean to suggest, an
important and charming consideration"
1.-THE generals estate was, l think
rather small"
Eyes. But you are very rich-rich
enough for two, at least"
But" stammered Don Timoteo, as a
glimmering perception of a bargain
broke upon his rather obtuse mind,
would she condescend to accept the
hand of disgraced statesman-an ex-
minister of Fomento?"
''She shall not. Her husband shall be
minister of Fomento IN perpet'sO."
"Ahl Your eXcellency has a noble
heart. l would be an migrate not to
accept your recommendation as con-
elusive"
Immediately upon his leaving the au-
dience-chamber the ex-minister of Fo-
mento indited letter, in his best official
style, to his old friend, Senior Campos,
setting forth in grandly-circumlocutory
phrases his tardily arrived at conscious
ness of the disparity between the ages of
the angelic Senorita Solita and himself;
his devotion to the service of his coun-
try that forbade his resigning himself t
the allurements of domestic felicity and,
hio upon VIC ldCJ
that the senorita not vet having been
officially informed of the honor contem-
plated for her, she would not suffer the
keen pangs of disappointment that would
naturally, otherwise, be felt.
Senior Campos, after reading that let
ter, found himself pretty well tuned up
to the proper frame of mind for a
Thanksgiving dinner. He, too, had been
thinking of the disparity in age between
Solita and the man he had intended to
make her husband; of her love, which
she had so passionately manifested to
him, for his young American clerk; of
his own love for her and how near he
had been-as he imagined-to sacrificing
her happiness to his selfish interests and
cold-blooded purposes. "Now that l
come to think of it," he said to himself,
II would not have liked, when | was
young, to be forced to marry some old
woman, such an one as Sonora
Vinnesa, for instance, and perhaps a
young girl is likely to have some
such feeling about marrying an old man.
But how can get out of the scrape now
without offending Don Timoteo?" The
letter of the worthy minister of Fomento
settled that question, and now Senior
Campos was as thankful and happy as he
could reasonably be expected to be under
the circumstances, for he had finally
made up his mind to do the right and
proper thing by the young folks, regard
less of his previous plans.
Harry Ringgold was packing his trunk
for Maracaibo when two notes were
handed to him. One was brief and inn
perative missive from his employer:
81 shall expect to see you at dinner, at
five o'clock, without fail"
The other was from Solita, and almost
equally brief:
my darling, you were right. My
uncle has sprung his trap. l am to be
the husband he intends for me. If you
still love me come l must see you
Your own Solita."
aha" thought Harry, "she does
love me after all. He seeks to compel
her to sacrifice herself and she rebels.
She will run away with me. Yes, | am
sure that that is what she means"
How unconscious of that fact Senior
Campos appeared when Harry at length
entered his parlor and found there
nobody but the old gentleman and his
niece They seemed to have some
pleasant understanding between them
that made him uneasy. In his excited
frame of mind he was disposed to be
suspicious, and Solitas vivacity and
evident happiness seemed so at variance
with what he expected to see in her
that he began to doubt if she were not
preparing a great treachery to over
whelm him. Once he found an oppor-
tunity to whisper to her:
ave will run away to night"
She looked up at him and laughed out
right, "a merry ringing peal of laughter that
gave him thrill of horror, and shook her
head in sign of denial.
Still, her intended husband had not ap-
peared. The clock was upon the stroke
of five, and the announcement of the
Thanksgiving dinner was momentarily
expected. Senior Campos, with a covert
smile at Solita, left the room for mo-
ment.
Hesitatingly, stammeringly, Harry said
to her:
II understood-or-expec is,
l thought l was to see another person
here"
another person?" Solita echoed, with
an innocent affectation of unconscious
ness.
~"Yes; your note told me so. The man
he intends you shall marry"
"Oh He arrived half an hour ago"
"Where does he hide HIMSELF"
"He does not hide himself Look be-
hind you and you will see him."
He wheeled quickly, flushing angrily
and with quick spasm of the heart and
found himself face to face with-his own
reflection in atall pier-glass.
"What! SoltaW he cried. MY dar-
ling! Do you mean that"
yes" she interrupted, throwing her
arms about his neck; my good uncle
gives us his consent"
While he was still pressing her to his
breast and finding in kisses most apt ex-
preston of happiness too great for
words, Senior Campos looked in, smiling
and rubbing the side of his nose with
aforefnger, and said:
Enough of that for the present, my
children. We are all in good form now.
l think, for our family Thanksgiving
dinner, the first of many that hope we
will share, and it is ready to receive our
attention" J. II. Connolly
PROLONGED MOURNING.
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